[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zW5wCbt.png[/img] [b]”Whatever you do Sammy, don’t scry my older posts.”[/b] [color=888888]— Nuncio[/color][/center] [sub][@PlatinumSkink][@ERode][/sub] Once the portal closed behind them, Nuncio climbed off of Rossa. He still held Sammy in his arms like a child might hold a lost kitten. Nuncio snapped his fingers, and his magic left Rosa’s body in static sparks. Her muscles shrank, her posture lowered, and her eyes crossed. With a huff, the great tiger laid down in the snow. [b]”Alright.”[/b] He said with a sigh. [b]”Thanks again Amaryllis. Sammy’s a lil’ quiet, but I think she’s tired.”[/b] Nuncio turned to look at the slime harpy. [b]”Thinkin’ I’d like to lay low with Sammy for a while. I’m sure they got all of our hidin’ places nailed down. Think your mistress would mind havin’ us for company for a while? Just till we think of somethin’. I’ve also got another surprise for her.”[/b] Nuncio pulled a red coin out of his shirt pocket to show Eli before stashing it back in his vest. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/COlSgMa.png[/img] [color=PeachPuff]“I’d like to speak to the manager.”[/color] [color=888888]— Su Fang[/color][/center] Su had heeded Lei Zi’s nod and stood back, fully intent on joining her in combat again once her attack landed. But with a crack of lightning, Su was snapped out of her trance. Her mind was her own again. But while Su’s dark impulses had faded, her memories hadn’t. She was shocked. Su could have spent the rest of the evening fighting beside Lei Zi. That wasn’t bad, but her motivation had been to get back at Helga. Su released a deep sigh and averted her eyes. Now that her mind was clear, it was evident what had to be done. The ascendancy had arrived, and bodies were falling every second. She could not wait around. Su needed to get Helga, Mika, and then shift out of here with as many people as she could save. Su prepared to sprint off to the back room before turning to the woman who had freed her. [color=PeachPuff]“Lei Zi.”[/color] She fret her brow. [color=PeachPuff]“I have one more to locate, should I come back for you?”[/color] Lei Zi considered the situation for a moment, her gaze turning upwards, to the cracks in the ceiling that showed a stormy sky. [b]"No. It's uncertain how much longer I will remain here anyways."[/b] [color=PeachPuff]“If you need a safe place to rest, do not hesitate to come to the hotel.”[/color] And with that, Su ran for the back room. [hr] Once Su was out of the smoke, she could fly as fast as she wanted. Though it was just a matter of time before the flames and smoke permeated the rest of the rave. Time was of the essence. Su came across Helga and landed beside her. [color=PeachPuff]“Have you seen Mika?”[/color] Before Helga could answer, Rina stepped out of a doorway. She had fully transformed, and was brandishing her bow. [color=chocolate]"I saw her run this way."[/color] She didn’t stop to talk. The archer was running as fast she could. [color=chocolate]"Alicia came this way too."[/color] [color=PeachPuff]“Ngh!”[/color] Su was not oblivious to Mika’s hatred of everything Beacon. Specifically Alicia. She had never specified why she hated that particular girl so much. Strange, seeing as she enjoyed competing against her in the Keijo tournament. Su didn’t have to say anything to Helga. The two sprinted after Rina as fast as they could. They turned the corner and heard the sound of fighting taking place, and were just in time to see Rina run past Fanfan. As they approached, they could see her take a defensive stance. Su sighed. It was probably just as well that Rina ran ahead without them. Forcing her to stick around and convince this girl to let two corrupts through would waste time. But that didn’t mean Su was going to simply wait around. [color=PeachPuff]“I don’t want to fight you.”[/color] Su folded her arms. [color=PeachPuff]“But my daughter is in there somewhere, and I’m not leaving without her.”[/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/8w3olYS.png[/img] [color=tomato]“Common sense, tingling!”[/color] [color=888888]— Mika Sarraf[/color][/center] [sub][@Vocab][@Flamelord][/sub] Since no one had followed Mika, she could act with impunity. The collapsing ice pillers and yelling made it easy to move undetected. It was even easier to find a room that lead directly to the conflict. Mika’s feral instincts were top notch. She could practically “see” Alicia through the wall. She would strike soon, right when her target least expected it. Even if Mika couldn’t see it, she knew Alicia was fighting Christine now. They hadn’t been friends like she originally expected. It was an odd feeling for Mika. She had never gone out of her way to kill someone before. Humans weren’t the same thing as monsters, and while she hadn’t gotten to know Alicia especially well, she knew some things about her. Mika had heard Kimble’s glowing descriptions of Alicia. She witnessed Leena step in to defend her. Even if it was brainwashing, Mika was going to kill someone who was beloved by others. She steeled herself for the encounter. Her adamantium claws glistened in the dim light. All she had to do was extend her arms and she would blow through the door. If she overclocked the jets on her fists, there would be virtually no time to react before she made contact. In the time it took to snap your fingers, Mika would rid herself of the one thing that was ruining her life. She drew back her claws and honed in on Alicia’s sounds. Her voice, her bow, the sound of her spells. It would all help her land a clean kill. [color=chocolate]"I’ve got your back, Alicia!"[/color] Mika’s ears shot up. She knew that was Rina’s voice, but she couldn’t understand why she was here. [color=chocolate]"There’s a lot of them, watch out!"[/color] Mika could hear the sound of Rina’s swords cutting through Christine’s clones. [color=chocolate]"Ice Pillars?! Mika,where are you?"[/color] The feline magical girl stood up. She had no idea what was going on here. All of Alicia’s friends were people she had brainwashed, so naturally that meant that Rina was brainwashed too. But that was impossible. Rina helped Mika clean up her bedroom. They went shopping together. They ate donuts together. She agreed to come to this horrible rave and danced with her, even though Mika’s dance game was really bad. They even enjoyed a grown up kiss on the pillow planet. Mika grabbed the sides of her head. She was forced to reconsider everything she knew about Alicia. The possibility that people genuinely liked her. That maybe brainwashing wasn’t involved and even Kimble genuinely felt that way about her. But that didn’t make Alicia guiltless either. They wanted to hurt her family. She was there when they held weapons to Su, Silly, and Tit rad. She had heard tales of their cruelty, seen it first hand. Her parents would talk about them in hushed whispers, and lived in fear of them arriving at the hotel every day. She wasn’t sure what to do. The cat girl stood back up. She heard the light spell go off. A decisive blow would be dealt soon, and Mika would be the one to deal it. Her body flooded with mana, fueling her beastly reflexes. Her body was covered in black armadillo scales, making her tough and durable. She held her claws in front of her face. A quick cross cut, a leap. It was [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0QSrhGw4cU&feature=youtu.be&list=RDgu4AyUWBr18&t=63]go time[/url]. Rather than going through the door, Mika opted to blow her way through the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4c-egnkdLI]wall[/url]. instead. Her claws cut through the concrete like butter, making it relatively easy to burst through. Her pool fists were jetting her as fast as she could go. All the water spilled into the hallway, swirling around her like a maelstrom. This was to help divert some of the projectiles away from her body. If she was fortunate, her armor would take what her water barrier couldn’t. She cruised towards Christine, both fists extended. But she did not remain that way. As she got closer, Mika allowed her arms to drift apart. Her claws would miss, but Mika’s open hands would clasp around Christine’s shoulders, guiding the two of them to the wall. There Christine would be crushed between a high velocity armadillo-armored-Mika and a concrete wall. [color=tomato]“Nobody talks like that to Rina’s friends!”[/color] The archer blinked. [color=chocolate]"Mika? What are you doing here?"[/color] The cat girl looked at Alicia and shot her a glare. [color=tomato]“I’m letting you and Kimble off the hook. Go save the world, or whatever you were going to do.”[/color] She squinted her eyes. Of course, it was unlikely that Christine was out of fight just yet. Mika’s tail grew a stiletto tip, which she would attempt to ram into Christine’s jugular. Scorpions have a reputation for having lethal venom, but the truth is that out of the thousand or so species of scorpions, only a dozen or so have lethal venom. Most scorpions prefer to tear their prey apart, and only use their venom to slow down tougher opponents.